Fendall Hill - another soprano player

I am a married 40-year old father of three from Auckland New Zealand. I am the soprano player for Waitakere Brass (recently rejoined), and current NZ soprano champion.

I am a Chartered Professional Engineer / Management Consultant for a large Australasian company called GHD Limited.

I was brought up in the Waitakere band (then called New Lynn) in the 1970s and 80s when my father, Reverend Tom Hill, brought them from the C grade to become one of NZs top A grade bands. My father was a pre-eminent Salvationist trombone player and conductor prior to this, and went on to win four national titles in the course of a decade. He is probably best known for a rendition of a solo called 'Maoriland' in the 1950s when shock, horror , he dared to triple tongue at high speed on a trombone. He made a point of trying to do everything on a trombone that could be done on a cornet - without the aid of a trigger (even still)

I was in NZ National Youth Bands (on flugel and solo cornet), and moved to soprano in 1984, coming 3rd in the national solo that year. I 'retired' from banding in 1989, and apart from a dalliance in 1992 and 1996, didn't reappear on the scene until 2004, coming 2nd in the solo that year, and winning the next. I concentrated on church music during those years, developing the ability to play along to anything by ear (a valuable tool)

Coming back into banding, I found the multi-tasking involved to be very tricky, and the level of fitness required a challenge, but after a series of concerts playing soprano with Dalewool, North Shore and Waitakere, I regained the confidence necessary to play full time again, so have rejoined Waitakere. My next challenge is getting used to Simon Kerwin conducting on the 'upbeat' !!!

I also compose, having written a trumpet concerto. An abridged piano transcription of the 2nd and third movements is being used as the soprano test piece in Australia this year, as it was in NZ in 1996. I have recently written another solo for E flat instrument and piano, and embarking on a trombone solo (no triggers allowed!!)

Highlights for me this year (and the band) will be competing in the open B flat cornet solo in Australia at Easter, NZ national band contest (including defence of my title) in Dunedin in July, and a tour of UK and Switzerland (European Championships) with Waitakere in September.